Chapter Text
Isabella’s POV
How she had gotten herself into this mess, she didn’t know. At this point, it was just safe to say that Bella Swan had a knack for getting herself into trouble.
And damn, had she outdone herself this time.
It was even worse than following Alice on a hunch to Volterra to save Edward – a stellar idea all on its own. Nevertheless, that had been a few years ago, and she had felt the repercussions ever since; things had not been the same.
When they had returned, Isabella had been overwhelmed, and entirely freaked out. But they had survived. Barely. At the very least, they had all made it back to Forks in one piece.
Which is more than she could say for Edward’s and Bella’s relationship. That had fractured into a thousand pieces once the wheels of the private plane hit the tarmac.
In all honesty, their relationship was already hanging by a thread, and Edward's refusal to turn her, even when her life was on the line? That had been the final nail in the coffin.
Whatever had been going on between Edward and Bella, it had not survived that short trip to Italy.
Nor had any of her relationships with any of the other Cullens.
They had all played along; not seeing the error of their ways. And so, Bella had severed those ties swiftly; like tearing off a band-aid, leaving no room for second thoughts. She didn't dwell on it much; after all, they had abandoned her first. This was just the fallout from their choices.
Finally some consequences the Cullens had to live with.
But, truth be told, the spark in Bella's eyes had never fully returned. How could it? A curtain had been lifted; becoming aware of the supernatural meant that her world was so much bigger than any of her friends could phantom. And she could not talk about it.
Nope.
And so, a part of Bella had been living in the past. A harsh truth, but one she had to face.
She had tried to live her life the past few years, going through the motions just like was expected. She had been joyful when Renee announced her pregnancy, and even elated when Charlie married Sue.
But her own happiness? It seemed to escape her grasp at every turn.; and sometimes, under the warm cover of the darkness of the night, Bella wondered if she could ever be truly happy.
There was still a target on her back, after all. The Volturi still expected her to become a vampire. But with no vampires in her life to change her, well, that wish was difficult to fulfil.
Eternity loomed ahead, a vast emptiness without a partner or family to share it with. The thought of booking a trip to Volterra to fulfill her promise felt more like a burden than a choice Bella was eager to make.
So, she ran, but never hid.
A fugitive of her own fate, yet too defiant to escape it.
Another ripple in her life due to that damn Edward.
So, while going through the motions of a normal young adult; pursuing her education, working to foot the bills, and all that jazz, Bella was always on the lookout for something else.
For her past to finally catch up with her.
The daylight meant pondering about backup plans, and possible escape scenarios.
And at night? Well, during the dark she could not escape the supernatural even if she wanted to. Her dreams took her to another realm where she was one of them.
Her dreams were never about Edward.
Not even about the Cullens.
No, that coven of godforsaken vegetarians did not matter anymore. They had just been the introduction; the start of a never-ending story that was bigger than Bella, and bigger than them.
And so, every night, ever since that faithful day in Volterra, there were two sets of red eyes and a distinct blue hand print that haunted her dreams.
And Bella knew, knew in her heart, that those two vampires were important.
Not just important.
They were everything.
So, when the Volturi finally tracked her down, Bella wasn’t surprised. In fact, she had expected them sooner.
Still, a wave of disappointment hit when Demetri and Felix showed up at her dorm one winter evening. She had been so close to finishing her bachelor’s, but now that goal was fading, slipping from her grasp like sand through her fingers.
But hey, that was life.
For the second time in her short human life, she found herself on a one-way flight to Italy. Yet, this time, Bella was fully aware there was no getting back.
The importance of those vampires, the everything they represented, eclipsed her own dreams and desires. And in her heart, she knew she was getting closer to them by the minute.
Finally.
Bella was not sure what she had exactly expected; but this for sure was not it.
She had anticipated Aro. She had imagined the confident aura of the three kings. Even the thick smell of copper that tainted the air had not been a surprise.
No. That had all been exactly like last time.
But as she stood in the heart of the throne room, Felix’s imposing presence looming over her, the sight that met her eyes was far from what she had imagined. The Cullens, usually so proud and untouchable, knelt before her, forming a solemn barrier between her and the three kings who watched in silence.
Just her luck.
The three kings sat on their thrones with an air of indifference, though each in their own distinct way. Aro’s crimson eyes locked onto Isabella’s, burning with an intensity that could melt steel. Marcus appeared as detached as ever, his gaze distant and uninterested. Meanwhile, Caius sat rigid, a familiar scowl etched onto his face, mirroring the last time she had faced him.
Vampires, frozen in time. Bella shrugged her shoulders. What else was new?
The atmosphere was eerie. Years had passed since she last stood in this room, and while some aspects had shifted, many remained stubbornly unchanged. Isabella could almost feel the weight of her own transformation; the lines of her face spoke of a maturity she hadn’t possessed before. She felt the wisdom that came with age, the kind that only time and experience could bestow.
Yet, despite this evolution, she remained acutely aware that she was still in the midst of her journey. She had grown into her adult self, but she was not quite there yet.
Oh well, it wasn’t as if she’d ever finish that journey now. Those bleak thoughts could wait—better saved for a moment when her survival wasn’t hanging by a thread.
Meanwhile, Bella felt her own eyes widen under Aro’s scrutiny. Distracting herself, she counted the Cullens. Her old family. Her old everything.
Her world, kneeling before her. The juxtaposition was jarring. They had left her, twice. The last time it had been Bella’s own request – but they had left her nonetheless. And now, they sat in front of her, showing a type of submission that she had never dared to imagine.
Carlisle and Esme were kneeling, their heads bowed in submission. Emmett and Rose held the same pose, although Bella observed the familiar tensing in Rose’s neck that happened when she was frustrated and under stress.
Typical.
Edward was surrounded by black smoke, as was Alice. Bella had been introduced to Alec’s gift last time, and she wondered what could have caused the need for both of them to be subdued.
Her eyes did not linger, and traveled to the vampire at the end of the row; his posture was rigid, and his head was held high. It was curious, the way her eyes were irresistibly drawn to him, despite the minimal connection they had shared.
As Bella's gaze locked onto Jasper's golden eyes, everything else faded. It was the first time they had seen each other since her 18th birthday party, and the waves of pain and sorrow emanating from him were palpable. His anguish was etched into his face, plain for her to see.
Bella took a few hesitant steps forward, unable to explain the compulsion to soothe the blond man.
Her hand reached out, instinctively aiming to touch his cheek. Before she could make contact, the sharp sound of Aro clearing his throat echoed through the room, snapping her back to reality.
“My dear Isabella, how wonderful to make your acquaintance once again” Aro’s melodic voice welcomed her, and he waved his hand in a particular motion.
Without thinking, Bella took a step back, colliding with the tall muscular frame of Felix. The guard immediately put his hands on her shoulders, roughly guiding her back to the middle of the room.
Right. Guest of honor and all that.
Quite a space now between her and the Cullens, Aro spoke again,
“Alec, can you please let our two guests go. I am sure Demetri and Afton will be able to handle them should the need arise”, a hint of malice seeping through his polite demeanor.
Within the blink of an eye, the two guards had moved in. Demetri stood behind Edward, holding his neck in a vice grip, while Alice was shadowed by who Bella presumed to be Afton.
The smoke slowly retracted.
And the highly unanticipated reunion with Edward was anticlimactic, to say the least.
One would think that vampires would learn. Having an eidetic memory and all.
But as Edward whimpered a feeble, “Bella,” Demetri’s grip tightened immediately; his large hand so tight around Eddie’s neck that cracks formed up his marble skin like spiderwebs. It was clear he had not learned.
Unsurprising.
Bella could only sigh, her gaze drifting over to Alice, whose eyes were vacant as if she was in the middle of a vision, before settling back on Jasper.
She was getting too old for this shit.
“So, young Edward has fallen from your graces, hasn’t he, dear Isabella?” Aro’s voice dripped with a curious delight. “Very intriguing indeed. What events have unfolded since we last met?”
Bella’s eyes flicked up to Aro’s, holding his penetrable stare with a conviction she did not know she possessed. Her jaw tensed as her teeth ground against each other. All the fury and frustration that she thought she buried came racing back as she looked into his vibrant crimson eyes.
Fuck.
Her mouth moved without thinking, uttering a string of words she came to regret the moment it left her lips.
“Not much. We broke up.”
Bella’s lips twisted into a bitter smile. “A surprise trip to Italy to save your suicidal ex will do that to you”
Within the blink of an eye, Aro had traveled down the stairs and gripped Edward’s hand tightly.
“I see,” he murmured, his voice a low rumble that resonated through the chamber, before turning his attention to Alice and Carlisle. The king’s fingers brushed lightly against their wrists, and an otherworldly stillness enveloped them as he delved into their thoughts.
His gaze flicked between Carlisle and Alice with a mixture of curiosity and intrigue. “I see indeed,” he repeated, a thoughtful furrow appearing on his brow.
“Very peculiar,” Aro murmured, his voice soft yet laced with a sharp edge as he lifted one finger beneath Carlisle’s chin, tilting his head upward to meet his gaze.
Bella caught only a glimpse of Aro’s raven hair cascading like a dark waterfall over his shoulders as his fingers lingered under Carlisle’s jaw. Carlisle’s face twitched, his eyes widening slightly in a mixture of apprehension and discomfort. The room's atmosphere thickened with tension, and Bella’s heart pounded.
This was not good. Not good at all.
She really should not have thrown the Cullens in front of the bus like that. She might not like them, but they did leave her alone when she asked. They had adhered to her wishes. And now, well, they were getting punished for it.
Yet, a part of Bella could not move.
Bella was not sure how long they stood there. It could have been hours, it could have been seconds. In the cold throne room, time seemed to stand still and speed up simultaneously as Aro and Carlisle stared at each other, enveloped in their little cocoon.
It was Caius’s voice, dripping with disdain, that cut through the tension and pulled the room back to its unsettling normalcy. His words, though languid, carried a chilling edge that prickled Bella’s skin.
“Aro,” Caius drawled, “if you could expedite whatever this is, I’d greatly appreciate it. I’d prefer to get on with killing this human today, if at all possible.”
A shiver ran down Bella’s spine. Great. She had expected to die today, but did the man have to put it so crudely? For God’s sake.
The Cullens, as always, had their opinions, and of course, Edward had to be the one to top them all.
Oh, Edward.
Before anyone could blink, he was already launching himself at his captor, reckless as ever.
With what goal? Bella hadn’t the faintest.
But, as a good lapdog – no, captain of the guard – Demetri had predicted his actions. Before Bella could even comprehend what had just happened, two arms landed at Bella’s feet while a loud howl echoed through the room.
Great.
Absolutely wonderful.
She felt her knees tremble as she looked down at the severed limbs. However, it seemed that she was the only one in the room that was affected by the display of authority.
Who knew that dissecting limbs was a normal occurrence in the supernatural life?
Bella did not, but everyone else for sure did; Aro continued as if nothing had happened.
“Now young Edward, do not fret”, Aro said, a malicious grin spreading on his lips, “You will be reunited with your body parts soon. At least, in some capacity”
The king’s eyes traveled across the Cullens, before settling back on their oldest son. “You have all not lived up to the promises that you delivered with such conviction mere years ago. We all know the punishment for not keeping our secrets.”
Aro’s smile widened, eagerly stretching across his lips in an unsettling blend of eeriness, menace, and twisted delight.
Not being able to look at the king any longer, Bella focussed her attention elsewhere.
Her eyes swiftly returned to Jasper's; finding an unexpected anchor in their depth. His gaze steadied her, a quiet presence amid the tumult of her emotions that threatened to pull her under. His eyes, tinged with sadness, held hers, and his lips formed a faint, apologetic whisper that seemed to ignite something within her.
A surge of defiance flared within Bella. The reality of mortality had always been a constant shadow — she and the Cullens would face their end eventually, as all living – or at least partially undead – things must. But not today.
Not here.
Bella squared her shoulders, her spine straightening with newfound determination. Despite the chaos around her, she refused to be swept away by the tide of sentiment.
This was not happening. Not today.
Jasper’s eyebrows shot up as he felt her emotions, but Bella did not linger on him. Instead, she scraped her throat.
“Master Aro?”
She was surprised at how small her own voice sounded in the gigantic room. Suddenly very aware that all eyes, both red and golden, were trained on her with remorseless scrutiny.
Within the blink of an eye, Aro stood in front of her.
“What is it, my dear?”
She held his gaze, unrelenting, as she tried her hardest to make her mind accessible. She had never tried, nor had she wanted to – but now it seemed like the best option. On an instinctive level she understood that lowering the invisible barrier that protected her mind was the only thing that could keep her – and the others alive.
Her voice sounded more confident, as she answered the imposing Volturi king.
“I requested they leave me alone. Please, do not punish the Cullens for me. At least, not the ones that had no say in the matter.”
She offered her hand without any second guesses; and as Aro clasped his cold fingers around hers a small gasp escaped his lips.
Ah.
A shiver went down her spine as she felt Aro’s presence.
She succeeded.
Good.
Bella felt the intrusion in her brain. It was an annoying poking and prodding that would definitely give her a headache if it would go on for too long. Trying to speed up the process and guide Aro to what she wanted him to see, Bella focussed on the specific memories. She recalled the actions of Edward and Alice; how they left her no choice. How the rest followed, but how Esme, Rosalie, Emmett, and Jasper held themselves on neutral ground, always referencing the Volturi and that they could not let Bella go like that.
As the memories of her abandonment ended, it seemed that Aro was not done yet. The king kept a steady grip on her hand, his cold skin causing her nerve ends to almost fry themselves.
It seemed Aro was interested in other thoughts as well. He swept over her most recent memories, passing over her day-to-day life, but as time moved forward, he lingered more and more on her dreams.
He replayed them multiple times. The haunting darkness enveloped both of them in a snug blanket, as Bella got pulled down the rabbit hole of her thoughts. She felt the wind in her hair, as she ran in an inhuman speed down the shadows, while the two pair of red eyes followed her wherever she went.
There was something about the faint, blue handprint that lingered in her dreams — always appearing just before she woke — that drew Aro’s attention with almost magnetic intensity.
Bella had reached her breaking point. Her head throbbed, a relentless drumbeat behind her eyes. She was done unearthing these memories, each one dredging up emotions so complex and tangled that she struggled to even name them.
Without thinking, she snapped her shield back up.
Aro, startled, took a step back, as he observed her in detail.
“Interesting my dear Swan. Interesting indeed. It seemed you have gained quite a sense of control…”
The king’s eyes traveled to those of Felix, who stepped closer to Isabella. Then, Aro turned around as he faced the Cullens and his brothers.
“It seems like Isabella has a destiny that we have promised to fulfill, my dear brothers”
Over his shoulder, Aro looked at Isabella, before his eyes trained back on Caius,
“They will live to see another day.”
Bella had no time for her shock to properly register.
As if on cue, accompanied by an angry roar that came from no one other than Caius, most of the guards left the throne room.
Bella was so fixated on the words that echoed in her mind, that she had not registered Edward’s second attack.
Not that she had needed to. The Volturi guard lived to protect and serve, after all.
Edward was fast, but Demetri was faster. The youngest Cullen now lay thrashing on the floor, Demetri standing over him, a knee between his shoulder blades, while Edward screamed a mix of obscenities and protests as he writhed in pain. From the opposite side of the room, Jane’s eyes were trained on him, while the other Cullens looked at their brother in dread.
All but Jasper, whose eyes were still curiously observing Isabella. And Bella? Bella was returning his gaze as if her life depended on it.
Aro clapped twice in his hands, and the remaining vampires started moving.
Bella did not register any of it. She kept rerunning Aro’s words in her head as she stared into the mesmerizing golden irises of the blond vampire.
Time was standing still, or at least it felt like it did.
Bella did not notice the three kings speaking in hushed tones, or another vampire entering the room.
She did not even notice Edward getting so out of hand that he was torn into pieces, his limbs scattered around the room.
She did not notice Felix's hands clamping down on her shoulders, as if willing to root her in place.
The only thing she noticed was how peaceful she felt. The liquid gold hue wrapped around her, drawing her deeper into a cocoon of tranquility and safety.
And then, everything went black
When Bella's eyes opened again, the room had narrowed to just herself, the kings, and an enigmatic female vampire.
The stranger stood out starkly against the usual Volturi backdrop. Her piercing blue eyes, strikingly different from the typical crimson, complemented her blond hair cascading down her shoulders in light waves. If Bella did not know any better, she would have sworn she would belong in a Lord of the Rings movie as an elf.
She was beautiful. Absolutely gorgeous.
Shaking her head, willing away the thought, she refocused.
Where were the Cullens?
“Not here, evidently” the bored voice of Caius pierced the silence.
Shit. Had she said that out loud? Had she said everything out loud?
Bella’s eyes focussed on Caius, holding his gaze, she decided to grasp the opportunity to show some backbone,
“So, what the hell is happening?”
Marcus coughed, an odd sound to come from a vampire, as all eyes focussed on him.
His voice croaked as if he had not used it in ages,
“My beloved wife Didyme had us make a promise before she departed”
Well, that was not the sentence Bella had been expecting. As if he read her reaction, Marcus paused, giving her some space to contemplate. As his large hands tied his hair back, he continued,
“If we ever were to come across a vampire touched by her hand, it meant they had missed their opportunity to find true happiness. That golden feeling that she brought with such glee. A feeling so mighty, that it would encompass everything else.”
Bella looked around the room skeptically. True happiness? Her?
Yeah, right.
Yet, Aro and Caius remained unnervingly composed, their expressions a mask of gravity at the bizarre claim. Bella understood it was wiser to swallow her doubts and heed whatever Marcus was saying.
Because damn, this was not making any sense.
“We are bound by this promise, Isabella. Which means that Athena here will be sending you back in time”
Huh.
They were really not making any sense.
Bella slowly caught one hand with her other, stopping the relentless urge to slap herself that was clawing at her.
She had to wake up. This nightmare-turned-freaky-dream was not funny anymore. She could almost feel the sharp pinch of reality against her skin, a desperate attempt to anchor herself in the moment.
This could not be happening.
However, Caius’ bored expression, only showed that he wanted to get this over quickly.
“My dear Athenadora does not know where she will be sending you until after it happened. We could explain the details, but hey, what is the fun in that”, the king said with a scowl, as he pulled the woman into his lap.
Marcus sighed at his brother’s antics, as he settled back into his throne, “Once you go back, you will create a second timeline if you will. You will not be able to alter the current future, because it will cease to exist.”
If it would be physically possible, Bella’s jaw would have hit the floor.
What?
How?
Why?
They were not kidding?!
“So with that, we would like to wish you the best. Good luck, dear Isabella” Aro’s voice spoke from behind her.
“Wait… What?!” Bella exclaimed.
Her eyes held Marcus’, who gave her an apologetic smile.
A torrent of thoughts swirled through her mind as her voice echoed, growing more distant with each question she hurled. It seemed irrelevant now. The Volturi had not been fucking kidding, she realized a little too late, as her world fractured into a dazzling burst of stars and colors, then dissolved into darkness.